Fold down hard case door

ABSTRACT

Fold Down Hard Case Door is a rifle case that can be mounted to an ATV or other vehicle having a hinged butt door to allow a hunter to easily retrieve his rifle without getting out of an ATV or other vehicle. The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a rifle case with a handle and a butt door with a locking pin on the top and a hinge on the bottom. To use the preferred embodiment of the invention, a hunter would first mount the rifle case with the butt door attached to an ATV or other vehicle. The rifle case is attached to the ATV or other vehicle on the front rack near the hunter&#39;s hand and handgrip. Ideally, the rifle case will be mounted to allow the tip and barrel of the rifle to face down and to the front of the rifle case. The hunter&#39;s rifle could then be inserted into the rifle case with the butt end of the rifle nearest the hunter. To insert the rifle, the hunter removes the locking pin and utilizes the hinge to allow the butt door to swing down to create an opening for the rifle. The butt door could then be closed again and the locking pin could be inserted to secure the rifle in the rifle case. During a trip between locations, a hunter could continue to look for appropriate hunting prey. If prey is sighted, the hunter could stop the ATV or other vehicle and again remove the locking pin to access the rifle within the rifle case.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional Patent Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/841,418 entitled “Fold Down Hard Case Door” filed on Aug. 31, 2006.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosures made herein relate generally to the hunting and outdoors accessories industry. The invention discussed herein is in the general classification of specialized hunting rifle covers.

BACKGROUND

Hunting is a popular sport in many countries. Some people hunt to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight of the outdoors. Others participate in hunting activities to challenge their tracking skills and shooting accuracy. Still others hunt for more practical purposes. Many ranchers and landowners hunt to eliminate wildlife that is harmful to the surroundings or simply for food. In addition, hunting can provide aerobic exercise when a hunter must walk or run long distances over hills to capture his prey.

Hunting requires patience because a hunter is never certain when an animal will appear in the wilderness. Unfortunately, animals often appear when a hunter least expects them and when the hunter is unable to access his hunting rifle.

Hunters often use all terrain vehicles (ATV's) when hunting to transport themselves from one hunting location to another or from their home to a hunting location. An ATV is also useful for holding and transporting an animal carcass when a hunt ends. During journeys on the ATV, a hunting rifle is often stored and consequently is inaccessible should an animal appear. For safety reasons, the rifle is often stored in the back of an ATV or other vehicle, requiring the hunter to depart the vehicle to retrieve his rifle. However, animals may appear unexpectedly during these trips, and a hunter would be well served to have his rifle ready for such occasions.

Hence, there is a need in the art for a convenient to use, inexpensive and durable hunting rifle cover that can easily be accessed when needed, even during travel between two locations in a vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Fold Down Hard Case Door is a rifle case that can be mounted to an ATV or other vehicle having a hinged butt door to allow a hunter to easily retrieve his rifle without getting out of an ATV or other vehicle.

The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a rifle case with a handle and a butt door with a locking pin on the top and a hinge on the bottom.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a rifle case that can be attached to an ATV or other vehicle that allows easy access to a rifle even during travel on the vehicle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rifle case that can be easily transported by hunters or other outdoorsmen.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rifle case that can be easily mounted to the front rack of an ATV or other vehicle.

Another object of this invention is to provide an affordable rifle case for hunting that permits a hunter to quickly remove his rifle from the rifle case, turn and face prey.

Another object of this invention is to provide a durable rifle case that can withstand harsh weather and outdoor elements and adequately protect a rifle.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an easy to use rifle case for hunting or other outdoor activities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention with the butt door open and the locking pin removed from the butt door and the rifle case.

FIG. 2 depicts a close-up of the preferred embodiment of the locking pin used in conjunction with the preferred embodiment of the invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts a close-up of the preferred embodiment of the hinge used in conjunction with the preferred embodiment of the invention of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiment of Fold Down Hard Case Door is comprised of at least some of the following: a rifle case having a handle and a butt door with a locking pin on the top and a hinge on the bottom.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention with the butt door open and the locking pin removed from the butt door and the rifle case. The rifle case 1 of the preferred embodiment has a tapered design to permit it to accommodate a variety of rifle shapes, sizes and designs. The front of the rifle case 1 is the narrowest and the shortest and the rifle case 1 becomes increasingly wide and tall toward the rear.

The rifle case 1 is made of a hard plastic in this preferred embodiment though a variety of other materials could also be utilized. The hard plastic of the rifle case 1 is relatively light-weight, but it is still capable of protecting a rifle placed inside it. The exact width, length and height of the rifle case 1 are not critical to the invention, although they will ideally be large enough to accommodate most standard hunting rifles.

The top of the rifle case 1 has a handle 2 toward the rear and extending lengthwise on the rifle case 1. The center of the handle 1 is oval in shape and large enough to accommodate a hunter's hand though a variety of other handles could also be utilized.

A butt door 3 is attached toward the rear of the rifle case 1. The butt door 3 is attached to the rifle case 1 via a hinge 4 on the bottom and a locking pin 5 on the top. Both the hinge 4 and the locking pin 5 are made of metal in this preferred embodiment though a variety of materials may be utilized for these components.

The locking pin 5 of this preferred embodiment is secured through an opening 7 on the top of the butt door 3 and through a corresponding opening 8 on the top of the rifle case 1. The opening 7 on the top of the butt door 3 and the corresponding opening 8 on the top of the rifle case 1 are dimensioned to accommodate the locking pin 5. The locking pin 5 has a strap 6 attached to it to permit it to be secured to the rifle case 1 or butt door 3 to prevent loss.

In the preferred embodiment, the exterior perimeter of the rifle case 1 is designed to be slightly smaller than the interior perimeter of the butt door 3 to allow the butt door 3 to be placed over the rifle case 1 when a rifle is being stored.

The butt door 3 also has a set of grooves 9 on the bottom and rear to allow a user to more easily handle the rifle case 1 when the butt door 3 is closed and the locking pin 5 is in place.

FIG. 2 depicts a close-up of the preferred embodiment of the locking pin used in conjunction with the preferred embodiment of the invention of FIG. 1. The locking pin 5 and the strap 6 are again visible from this view. The strap 6 is made of nylon in this preferred embodiment though a variety of other materials would also suffice. The dimensions of the strap 6 are not critical to the invention, but the strap 6 is approximately four inches long in the preferred embodiment to allow it to be attached to the rifle case 1 or butt door 3 without becoming a nuisance when it is not in use.

FIG. 3 depicts a close-up of the preferred embodiment of the hinge used in conjunction with the preferred embodiment of the invention of FIG. 1. The hinge 4 has a mounting bracket 31 with a plurality of holes 33 that can be attached to the butt door 3. The other side of the hinge 4 also has a set of two attaching brackets 30 with a single hole 32 in each to secure the hinge 4 to the rifle case 1. A variety of other mounting mechanisms may also be utilized with this invention. Standard screws can be inserted through the holes of the mounting bracket 33 and attaching brackets 30 to secure them to the butt door 3 and the rifle case 1.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the butt door is dimensioned to fit around the rifle case, but it is completely removable from the rifle case without the use of any equipment or tools. A user could simply pull on the butt door to detach it from the rifle case and access the rifle in the interior of the rifle case.

To use the preferred embodiment of the invention, a hunter would first mount the rifle case with the butt door attached to an ATV or other vehicle. The rifle case is attached to the ATV or other vehicle on the front rack near the hunter's hand and handgrip. Ideally, the rifle case will be mounted to allow the tip and barrel of the rifle to face down and to the front of the rifle case. The hunter's rifle could then be inserted into the rifle case with the butt end of the rifle nearest the hunter. To insert the rifle, the hunter removes the locking pin and utilizes the hinge to allow the butt door to swing down to create an opening for the rifle. The butt door could then be closed again and the locking pin could be inserted to secure the rifle in the rifle case. During a trip between locations, a hunter could continue to look for appropriate hunting prey. If prey is sighted, the hunter could stop the ATV or other vehicle and again remove the locking pin to access the rifle within the rifle case.

The components of Fold Down Hard Case Door may vary widely but will likely use metal and plastic components. The metals would ideally be selected from available steel or alloys of steel and aluminum. The production process related to the use of these metals insures that the metal is non-corrosive, durable and strong. The selected metal should have high impact strength and be capable of accepting and retaining coloring materials for an extended length of time.

The plastic used in the production will ideally be selected for durability and longevity. Thermoplastics are commonly used in the manufacturing of components similar to those used in this invention. Polyethylene, polypropylene, and other similar thermoplastic materials would be among those with the necessary traits. Members of this family are recognized universally as being versatile and of high quality.

The plastic components of Fold Down Hard Case Door can also be formed with the use of plastic molding techniques, such as injection molding or blow molding. Injection molding requires melted plastic to be forcefully injected into relatively cool molds. As the plastic begins to harden, it takes on the shape of the mold cavity. This technique is ideal for the mass production of products. Alternatively, blow molding, a form of extrusion, could be utilized. Blow molding involves a molten tube being pushed into a mold. Compressed air then forces the molten tube against the cold walls of the mold.

It should be obvious that the components of the present invention can be of various shapes and sizes. It should also be obvious that the components of the invention can be made of different types of metals or other suitable materials and can be of any color. It should further be obvious that although the present invention is ordinarily used for hunting, it could have several other uses.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It should therefore be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims. 

1. A hunting device comprising: (a) a rifle case; and (b) a butt door attached via a mounting mechanism to the rear of the rifle case.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the rifle case is tapered with the front end having the narrowest dimensions and the rear end and the butt door having the widest dimensions.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the rifle case is made of plastic.
 4. The device of claim 1 further comprising a handle on the rifle case
 5. The device of claim 4 wherein the handle is located on the top and approximately in the rear of the rifle case and extends lengthwise on the rifle case.
 6. The device of claim 1 wherein the mounting mechanism is a hinge.
 7. The device of claim 6 wherein the hinge is connected to the bottom of the rifle case by a first attaching bracket with a first hole and a second attaching bracket with a second hole and has a mounting bracket with a plurality of holes that can be attached to the butt door.
 8. The device of claim 6 further comprising a locking pin that protrudes through a first opening on the butt door and a corresponding second opening on the top of the rifle case.
 9. The device of claim 8 wherein the hinge and the locking pin are made of metal.
 10. The device of claim 8 further comprising a strap attached to the locking pin and the rifle case.
 11. The device of claim 10 wherein the strap is made of nylon.
 12. The device of claim 1 wherein the exterior perimeter of the rifle case is designed to be slightly smaller than the interior perimeter of the butt door.
 13. The device of claim 1 further comprising a set of grooves on the bottom and rear of the butt door.
 14. A hunting device comprising: (a) a rifle case that is tapered with the front end having the narrowest dimensions and the rear end having the widest dimensions; (b) a butt door attached to the bottom of the rifle case via a hinge having a first attaching bracket with a first hole and a second attaching bracket with a second hole connected to the bottom of the rifle case and a mounting bracket with a plurality of holes attached to the butt door. (c) a handle located on the top and approximately in the rear of the rifle case and extending lengthwise on the rifle case; (d) a locking pin that protrudes through a first opening on the butt door and a corresponding second opening on the top of the rifle case; (e) a strap attached to the locking pin and the rifle case; and (f) a set of grooves on the bottom and rear of the butt door.
 15. The device of claim 14 wherein the exterior perimeter of the rifle case is designed to be slightly smaller than the interior perimeter of the butt door.
 16. A hunting device comprising: (a) a rifle case; and (b) a butt door dimensioned to attach to the rear of the rifle case and removable from the rifle case. 